1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sports apparatus for use in connection with the game of baseball. The batter monitoring system has particular utility in connection with aiding the umpire in determining if a player has swung his bat over the plate and the precise moment when a runner crosses the plate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Calls made by umpires in baseball games have been questioned since the game originated. Some of the most questionable calls involve whether or not a batter has rotated past a certain point on a “check swing”, which occurs when a batter tries to hold the bat back after he has started to swing. These calls are typically made by the first or third base umpires, depending on whether the batter is right or left handed, and are judgment calls on the part of the umpires. The umpire must determine if the batter will be charged with a strike depending on how far forward the bat was swung before the batter could stop the motion. Heated tempers can result from calls made in these types of situations; therefore, a device that could help the umpire determine if the player's bat has passed forward over the center of the plate would be extremely beneficial to the umpires.
Another type of call which is highly controversial is the umpire's call of a play at home plate. While the calls at all bases are critical, the plays at home plate are crucial because they directly affect the score in the game. Once again, these types of calls are judgment calls by the home plate umpire and are a source of contention with managers and players. Thus, a device which would aid the umpire in determining when a runner crosses the plate would help alleviate the disputes that occur over calls at home plate.
The use of batter monitors for aiding or replacing umpires is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,016 to Kenneth W. Heglund, Michael P. O'Dierno, and Travis Scheckel discloses an automatic baseball ball and strike indicator that uses two transducers to detect the presence of an incoming pitch and a series of transducers located on the upper surface of a home plate shaped housing to determine whether the pitched ball is within the strike zone. However, while the size of the strike zone may be changed to accommodate batters of different heights in the Heglund, et al. '016 patent, this would take intervention by an operator of the device and would be time consuming since this procedure would need to occur for nearly every batter. Furthermore, if a ball were to cross through the strike zone and then hit a batter, entitling him to a walk, the Heglund, et al. '016 device would register it as a strike and would need to be cleared and reset so the ball/strike count for the next batter is correct. Finally, the transducers for detecting the incoming pitch and the LEDs for indicating the ball/strike count are located on the front edge of the plate in the Heglund, et al. '016 device where they would be susceptible to being covered with large amounts of loose dirt. Thus, this area of the plate would need to be frequently swept to allow the transducers to work properly and in order for the illumination of the LEDs to be seen.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,121,742 to Thomas F. McLaughlin discloses game apparatus that illuminates the outer edges of a home plate shaped base for improving the visibility of the area. However, the McLaughlin '742 patent does not aid the umpire in making a decision on whether the hitter has swung his bat over the plate. Furthermore, the McLaughlin '742 device does not alert the umpire when a runner has crossed the plate. Lastly, the McLaughlin '742 device utilizes incandescent bulbs for the illumination of the plate. These bulbs would need to be changed frequently, leading to cumbersome and time consuming maintenance since the home plate structure would need to be taken apart to accomplish this task.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 199, 128 to Paul S. Madsen discloses the ornamental design for a baseball home plate. However, the Madsen '128 patent does not provide a mechanism for aiding the umpire in determining if the hitter has swung his bat over the plate. Additionally, the Madsen '128 patent makes no provision for alerting the umpire when a runner crosses the plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,607 to Ernest A. Stumpf discloses a laser beam strike zone indicator wherein a plurality of adjustable laser beams are directed upwardly from the home plate to define a strike zone for a height of a predetermined batter. However each of the laser beams in the Stumpf '607 patent would need to be adjusted for each new batter, leading to an unacceptable time delay between batters. Moreover, no indication is given in the Stumpf '607 patent as to how the lasers are adjusted. Finally, no information is provided in the Stumpf '607 patent about whether the laser beams can differentiate between a baseball and another object, such as a bat, passing through the strike zone.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 3,341,199 to Paul S. Madsen discloses a baseball and home plate that has stroboscopic properties in conjunction with pitched balls passing thereacross to provide an aid to the umpire in determining whether such pitched balls are balls or strikes. However, utilization of the Madsen '199 device requires the purchase of a large number of baseballs specifically designed for use with the Madsen '199 home plate. This could lead to excessive costs associated with the purchase of these baseballs. Moreover, play in games would need to be halted if a replacement ball was needed and the proper ball could not be located. Finally, the Madsen '199 patent makes no provision for aiding the umpire in determining if the hitter has swung his bat over the plate or for alerting the umpire when a runner crosses the plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,440,042 to Ernest Friedman discloses an indicating system for baseball games having bases which are so constructed and arranged as to indicate positively when a player has a foot on the base. However, the Friedman '042 patent requires the use a large number of magnetic devices on the bottoms of the shoes of each player. This could be cost prohibitive if large numbers of teams were to use these bases. Additionally, the Friedman '042 requires players on opposing teams to wear magnetic devices having opposite charges. If any player were accidentally given magnetic devices with the wrong charge, the system would fail to indicate the correct information. Finally, the Friedman '042 device fails to provide a means by which the umpire is aided in determining if a player has swung the bat across the plate in a check swing.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 1,066,773 to Stephen H. Wills discloses a signal base for baseball fields that gives an alarm or signal when a runner reaches and touches a base. This is accomplished with a pair of plates that contact each other when a player steps on the plate, completing a circuit that sounds an alarm or gives some other indication. However, the Wills '773 patent does not take into consideration the fact that the baseman could inadvertently sound the alarm by stepping on the plate while attempting to catch the throw. Moreover, the ball could bounce on the plate and set off the alarm. Lastly, the Wills '773 patent makes no provision for aiding the umpire in calling checked swings by indicating when a hitter has swung his bat over the plate.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a batter monitoring system that allows the umpire to determine if a player has swung his bat over the plate and the precise moment when a runner crosses the plate. The McLaughlin '742, Madsen '128, Madsen '199, Friedman '042, and Wills '773 patents make no provision for aiding the umpire in determining if the hitter has swung his bat over the plate, such as in a checked swing. Additionally, the McLaughlin '742 and Madsen '128 patent do not provide an indicator when a runner crosses the plate. False indications could be given by the Friedman '042, Wills '773, and the Heglund, et al. '016 devices. If any player wore magnetic devices with the wrong type of charge, the Friedman '042 system would fail to indicate the correct information. The Wills '773 patent fails to consider the fact that a fielder could inadvertently step on the base or that the ball could bounce on the base, both of which would set off the alarm indicating that the runner had touched the base. If a ball were to cross through the strike zone and then hit a batter, entitling him to a walk, the Heglund, et al. '016 device would register it as a strike and would need to be cleared and reset so the ball/strike count for the next batter was correct. Furthermore, no information is provided in the Stumpf '607 patent about whether the laser beams can differentiate between a baseball and another object, such as a bat, passing through the strike zone. Use of the Madsen '199 and Friedman '042 devices requires the purchase of large numbers of specialty items, such as striped baseballs for use with the Madsen '199 device and magnetic devices for use with the Friedman '042 device. Moreover, play in games using the Madsen '199 device would need to be halted if a replacement ball was needed and the proper ball could not be located. The McLaughlin '742 patent utilizes incandescent bulbs for the illumination of the plate. These bulbs would need to be changed frequently, leading to cumbersome and time consuming maintenance since the home plate structure would need to be taken apart to accomplish this task. Additionally, the transducers for detecting the incoming pitch and the LEDs for indicating the ball/strike count are located on the front edge of the plate in the Heglund, et al. '016 device where they would be susceptible to being covered with large amounts of loose dirt. Thus, this area of the plate would need to be frequently swept to allow the transducers to work properly and in order for the illumination of the LEDs to be seen. Furthermore, while the size of the strike zone may be changed to accommodate batters of different heights in the Heglund, et al. '016 and Stumpf '607 patents, this would take intervention by an operator of the device and would be time consuming since this procedure would need to occur for nearly every batter. Finally, no indication is given in the Stumpf '607 patent as to how the lasers are adjusted.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved batter monitoring system that can be used for aiding the home plate umpire in making calls. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the batter monitoring system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of aiding the umpire in determining if a player has swung his bat over the plate and the precise moment when a runner crosses the plate.